Vietnam Active at UN Committees’ Sessions

Minister Counsellor Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations speaks at the debate. Photo: VNA

Minister Counsellor Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, called for international efforts to ensure financing for the UN development system’s operation during a debate of the UN General Assembly’s Economic and Financial Committee on October 14 in New York.

Thoa highlighted the important role of the UN development system in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and addressing global challenges, stressing that it is necessary to provide an adequate and stable budget and ensure a balance between the regular budget and the mobilised budget to strengthen development activities.

Development partners need to increase their contributions to the regular budget to ensure that UN development activities are neutral, voluntary, universal and multilateral.

The Vietnamese diplomat expressed support for the reform of UN development system to increase efficiency and cohesion, and better support for countries’ efforts to meet the needs, priorities and strategies of each country.

Thoa also shared the UN Secretary-General’s assessment that UN agencies should strengthen skills, expertise and institutions to better support countries in the process of energy transition and digital transformation, ensuring food systems, eradicating poverty, and promoting social protection, education, health insurance and climate action.

Cooperation at the regional level also needs to be strengthened to optimise expertise in order to support UN coordinators and agencies at the country level, she said.

Delegates also called for securing funding for the UN development system, which can assist countries in realising sustainable development goals (SDGs).

They said that the UN development system needs to improve the efficiency of the use of resources to meet the demands, priorities and plans of each country.

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN. Photo: VNA

Earlier, on October 13, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, emphasised the importance of decolonisation and respect for equal rights and self-determination of peoples in non-self-governing territories while attending a session of the 77th UN General Assembly’s Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee).

In her remarks, Ambassador Tra, held that it is necessary to boost constructive political dialogue and seek durable peace on the basis of respecting fundamental principles of international law, the UN Charter, and relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly, including Resolution 1514 on the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

The UN also needs to ensure that activities of administering states do not negatively affect interests of the peoples in non-self-governing territories while assisting them to resolve emerging challenges and promote development in these territories, she added.

At the session, many countries also shared the view on the need to promote the current decolonisation process.

On the same day, Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres said that he will pay an official visit to Vietnam on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Vietnam’s accession to the UN later this year.

Guterres made the statements during his meeting in New York on October 13 with Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN.

According to him, his visit aims to deliver a strong message of the importance the UN attaches to the Vietnam-UN partnership over the past 45 years, affirming that Vietnam is one of the indispensable members of the UN, and has been making significant contributions to the UN’s common work in solving global challenges, for peace and development in the world.

Guterres also congratulated Vietnam on its election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, noting his belief that Vietnam will maintain active and effective contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights.

For his part, Ambassador Giang emphasised the significance of the Secretary-General’s visit, affirming that Vietnam is committed to making active contributions to the UN’s common work, including promoting the SDGs, response to climate change and maintenance of international peace and security.

Vietnam calls for an end to conflicts, the restoration of peace, and the protection of people’s security and safety and essential infrastructure facilities, Ambassador Giang said at a recent emergency session of the 77th UN General Assembly on the situation in Ukraine.

The General Assembly on October 12 adopted a resolution on the situation in Ukraine.